Diet of wolverines (Gulo gulo) in the western Brooks Range, Alaska

Polar research

Anders Angerbjörn¹  Fredrik Dalerum²  Brad S. Shults³  Kyran Kunkel⁴ 

[1] Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden;Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, 0002 Pretoria, South AfricaCorrespondence;US National Park Service, Western Arctic National Parklands, P.O. Box 1029 Kotzebue, AK 99752, USA;World Wildlife Fund, Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730, USA

关键词: Caribou;    carnivore;    Gulo gulo;    mustelid;    predation;    wolverine.;   

DOI  :  10.1111/j.1751-8369.2008.00090.x

学科分类：自然科学（综合）

来源: Co-Action Publishing

【 摘 要 】

Migratory caribou herds are an important component of the North American tundra. We investigated the wolverine (Gulo gulo) diet in the migratory range of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd in north-western Alaska. Within this area, caribou are absent or occur at low densities for large parts of the year, and thus show a strong seasonality in abundance. Analyses of stomach and colon contents suggested that wolverines primarily consumed caribou during the winter, and that the dietary dependence was related more to caribou mortality than to caribou abundance in the area. We also found indications that wolverines may switch between moose and caribou during periods of low caribou abundance, but that such a switch did not affect wolverine body condition. Our results thus support previous observations that wolverines primarily consume ungulates. However, a better knowledge of how alternative food sources are utilized will be necessary to predict the dietary and demographic responses of wolverines to variations in c...

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC